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• Ricotta cheese is an Italian cheese made from whey, the by-product of cheese-making. Italian ricotta is typically made from sheep or water buffalo milk and tastes nutty and sweet. American ricotta is made of cow's milk and is blander and wetter.

• Fast Facts

  1. From the Italian for "re-cooked"
  2. Around 5% fat
  3. Frequently used in lasagna, cheesecake, cannoli, or cookies
  4. Produced from the whey of other Italian cheeses
  5. Technically not a typical "cheese" but a "whey cheese"

• The Five Ricottas

  1. Ricotta: Fresh, soft, creamy substance. Similar to Mascarpone cheese, but chunkier.
  2. Ricotta salata: Dried, pressed and salted. used for grating.
  3. Ricotta infornata: Baked until it becomes a sandy brown color. Popular in Sicily and Sardinia and is also called Ricotta al forno.
  4. Ricotta affumicata: Smoked ricotta put in a smoker until it takes on the charred flavor of oak or chestnut wood along with herbs or juniper berries.
  5. Ricotta scanta: A soured and salted ricotta that ages for 100 days and has the consistency of cream cheese. Pungent and slightly bitter.

• Related Mahalo Pages

  Cheese | Fontina Cheese | Asiago Cheese | How to Make Alfredo Sauce | How to Make Italian Style Cheesecake | How to Make Authentic Italian Food

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